Letter-package-tying device.



T. O. McVEY.

' LETTER PACKAGE TYlNG DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19. 1917.

Patehted Nov. 27, 1917.

NTTED @TAT% nron.

TELLA 0. MGVEY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

LETTER-EAGKAGEEYING DEVICE.

Application filed July 19, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TELLA O. MoVnY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Letter-Package- Tying Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a fastening device and particularly pertainsto a letter package fastener.

In the post-office department considerable twine is used and wasted intying bundles of letters. It is the principal object of this inventionto provide a. simple fasteningdevice with which ordinary string may beused and which may be operated in a rapid manner to securely tie abundle of letters and permit them to be untied without damage to thestring or the fastener.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fastener of the aboveclass which may be rapidly made from inexpensive material and which doesnot require adjustment or is not liable to become inoperative.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective i1lustrating a bundle of letters astied with the string and the fastener with which the present inventionis concerned.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in plan illustrating the fastener andfragmentary portions of the string when the bundle is tied.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation illustrating the fastener asdisassociated from the string.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates a bundle ofletters which are bound together by a string 11. It will be understoodthat other packages may be tied with a device of this character withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. As here shown, the string isdoubled to form strands 12 and 13. The ends of these strands are knottedand are adapted to catch between the convolutions 14 of the fastener 15.This fastener is formed of wire, as par-' ticularly shown in Figs. 2 and3 of the drawings. One end of the wire is bent in the shape of thefigure 8 to provide a thumb piece 16. From this portion the wire extendssubstantially straight and is then Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, 191?.

Serial No. 181,627.

wound to form the convolutions 14, four of which are here shown. Thefree end of the wire is then bent forwardly and upwardly to form a horn17, for a purpose which will be hereinafter disclosed. This horn is bentupon itself at its end so that it will be blunt and will not be liableto injure the persons tying the packages. It will be understood that thewire used in making the fastener is semi-rigid and possesses enoughresiliency to allow the strands of the string to be drawn into positionbetween the convolutions 14.

In operation, the thumb piece of the fastener is held between the thumband the fore finger of the left hand while the knotted ends of thestrands 12 and-13 are slipped between the convolutions 14, preferablythe most central convolution. The fastener is then placed upon thepackage and there held by the left thumb while the left hand is holdingthe package. The string is then led forwardly around the end of thepackage, as indicated by the letter o-, and brought under the packagearound the opposite end, as indicated by the letter b. The free portionof the string is then Wrapped around the fastener and led under the horn17, from which point it is carried to the left-hand side of the package,as indicated by the letter -c. It is now carried beneath and across thepackage and brought back to the fastener, as indicated by the letter-0Z. At this time the free end of the string is carried around the sideof the fastener adjacent the thumb piece and thereafter wrapped aroundthe coil. After having been wrapped around the coil one or more times,it is swung beneath the horn under the coil and drawn up through theconvolutions. This last operation may be repeated any number of timesand completes the tying operation. When in this condition the packagewill be firmly bound and will not become untied. In order to unwrap thepackage, the free end of the string is grasped and it is rapidly woundin a reverse direction from the tying movement. This will quickly freethe string from the fastener without requiring particular attention andwill permit the string to be readily removed.

It will thus be seen that the fastening device here disclosed is simpleand inexpensive in operation and will permit string to be usedeconomically While a bundle is tied in a firm and rapid manner.

WVhile I have shown the preferred form of my letter package tying deviceas now known to me, it is evident that various changes in thecombination, construction and arrangement of parts may be made by thoseskilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A fastening device for packages and the like, consisting of a singleWire forming a thumb-piece at one end adapted to lie flat upon thesurface of the package to be tied,

a series of convolutions formed of said Wire and disposed with theircentral aXis parallel to the surface of the package, and a horn formedat the opposite end of said Wire and portion ofthe Wire and disposedtangent to the surface of the package to be tied, and a forwardlyextending horn forinedby' the other end of the Wire; said hornbeing'upturned at its outer end to permit the passage of a cordthereunder.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

TELLA o. Mover.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. V

